T20 Blast Off – Outlaws v Lightning preview

Trent Bridge plays host to what promises to be one of the most tantalising opening night encounters of the NatWest t20 Blast tonight.

Lancashire Lightning are the visitors to Nottingham, with both squads boasting some of the finest international talent England has to offer.

England’s swing-king James Anderson and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler both feature in the Lightning squad, while the Outlaws boast an explosive line-up including former t20i number one Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, James Taylor and England new boy Harry Gurney.

Both sides were knocked out in the quarter-final stage of the tournament last year, but having won the ECB 40-over competition last season, the Outlaws are one of the bookies favourites to go all the way to the Edgbaston final.

Neither side has ever won the domestic t20 competition, with Notts finishing as runners-up in 2006 and making finals day in 2010. Lancashire’s best finish was also as runners-up in 2005 and they have also made finals day on four occasions, compared to Nottinghamshire’s two.

The two sides have already faced-off at Trent Bridge this season, with the home side winning the LVCC County Championship Division One match by 45 runs at the beginning of April. Ashwell Prince made a hundred for Lancashire in that match, while James Anderson and Tom Smith both picked up 5 wicket hauls. Nottinghamshire’s seamers shared the wickets around, while Samit Patel and Riki Wessels were both halted in the 90s.

Despite the rainy conditions in the county this week, Nottinghamshire come into the match off the back of a maximum points victory against Northants, in which Australian fast-bowler Peter Siddle and ex-England seamer Ajmal Shahzad both picked up four second innings wickets.

Lancashire on the other hand were defeated by ten wickets at Lord’s against Middlesex. There were some positives as Prince and Buttler continued their early season form with the bat, but the bowlers lacked potency with the ball.

Form in the four-day format will however go out of the window tonight, as one big performance from either of the sides’ international superstars could define the outcome of this game.

Key Men

Although he is yet to become a regular in their Championship side, Alex Hales is still the main man in the game’s shortest format. His breathtaking 116* to single-handedly guide England to victory over Sri Lanka in the World T20 back in March exemplified the sort of destruction he is capable of inflicting. Recalled from his brief loan spell at Worcestershire due to Steven Mullaney’s back injury, Hales was involved in their midweek win against Northamptonshire and he also made a half-century in the early win over Lancashire this summer.

Lightning signed England limited-overs wicketkeeper Jos Buttler from Somerset in the off-season, with the 23-year-old hoping the move might help him snatch the Test match gloves from Matt Prior. While the jury is still out regarding his suitability to the longer form, there is no argument about his one-day credentials. He is tidy with the gloves and utterly enthralling to watch with bat in hand. Buttler is well-known for his innovations and ability to manoeuvre the ball to all parts of the ground, but he also combines this with equally effective power hitting.

Team News

The Notts Outlaws include New-Zealand all-rounder in their squad for the match, while the fitness of seamer Andy Carter is a concern due to back pain. Director of Cricket Mick Newell will be forced to make a late call on the 25-year-old’s fitness, with Gurney, Adams, Shahzad and Luke Fletcher the likely seam attack. Steven Mullaney has recovered from a back strain and after scoring a hundred for the 2^nd XI he is likely to join Hales, Lumb, Taylor, Patel and Wessels in a formidable batting line-up.

Nottinghamshire Outlaws Squad:Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, James Taylor (C), Samit Patel, Riki Wessels, Chris Read, Steven Mullaney, Sam Wood, Ajmal Shahzad, Andy Carter, Harry Gurney, Luke Fletcher, Andre Adams

The Lightning have named a 13-man squad for the match at Trent Bridge, with coach/captain Glenn Chapple handing over the captaincy reigns to batsman Paul Horton. Pakistani overseas player Junaid Khan’s introduction has been delayed following difficulties obtaining his visa, although the left-arm fast bowler could make his Lightning return against Worcestershire Rapids at Emirates Old Trafford on Saturday night. Youngsters Clark, Lilley, White and Reece are likely to compete for the final spots in the eleven, with Alex Davies missing out due to Jos Buttler’s inclusion.

Lancashire Lightning Squad: Paul Horton (c), James Anderson, Karl Brown, Jos Buttler, Jordan Clark, Steven Croft, Alex Davies, Kabir Ali, Arron Lilley, Stephen Parry, Luis Reece, Tom Smith, Wayne White.

Weather and Conditions

The forecast is for overcast conditions but it should remain warm and dry. The possibility of humid weather could help the seam bowlers on a ground that has a reputation for assisting swing. This will please England duo Anderson and Gurney, who opened the bowling together against Scotland last week. The pair will however go head-to-head tonight and could be competing for a place in England’s limited-overs’ line-up against the touring Sri Lankans later this month.

Opta stat

Nottinghamshire Outlaws have won 38, tied one and lost 18 of their 57 completed home Twenty20 matches at Trent Bridge.

Date: 16th May 2014

Ground: Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Time: 6.30 pm